What is Millenium Development Goal (MDG)?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were the eight international development goals

for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations

in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The following

Millennium Development Goals by 2015 are:

 To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

 To achieve universal primary education

 To promote gender equality and empower women

 To reduce child mortality

 To improve maternal health

 To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

 To ensure environmental sustainability

 To develop a global partnership for development

What is Education For All (EFA) 2015?

Education For All (EFA) is a global movement led by UNESCO (United Nation Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization), aiming to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and

adults by 2015. The six goals established in The Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All:

Meeting Our Collective Commitments are:

 Goal 1: Expand early childhood care and education

 Goal 2: Provide free and compulsory primary education for all

 Goal 3: Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults

 Goal 4: Increase adult literacy by 50 percent

  Goal 5: Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015

 Goal 6: Improve the quality of education

Initial evaluation of MDGs and EFA

According to the 2015 report of MDGs, extreme poverty has declined significantly over the

last two decades. In 1990, nearly half of the population in the developing world lived on less than

$1.25 a day; that proportion dropped to 14 per cent in 2015 in Goal 1. The primary school net

enrolment rate in the developing regions has reached 91 percent in 2015, up from 83 per cent in

2000 in Goal 2. Many more girls are now in school compared to 15 years ago. The developing regions

as a whole have achieved the target to eliminate gender disparity in primary, secondary and tertiary

education in Goal 3. The global under-five mortality rate has declined by more than half, dropping

from 90 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births between 1990 and 2015 in Goal 4. Since 1990, the maternal

mortality ratio has declined by 45 per cent worldwide, and most of the reduction has occurred since

2000 in Goal 5. New HIV infections fell by approximately 40 per cent between 2000 and 2013, from

an estimated 3.5 million cases to 2.1 million in Goal 6. Ozone-depleting substances have been

virtually eliminated since 1990, and the ozone layer is expected to recover by the middle of this

century in Goal 7. Official development assistance from developed countries increased by 66 per

cent in real terms between 2000 and 2014, reaching $135.2 billion in Goal 8.

According to the 2015 report of EFA in the Philippines, The education sector alliance has

done notably well in terms of fulfilling the EFA Production Tasks, namely: the institutionalization of

school-based management and the national competency-based teaching standards;

institutionalization of kindergarten education; and the implementation of K to 12 curriculum and

education structure. All these interventions have potential impact that will improve the educational

system in the country in the years to come. The Philippine EFA 2015 Review Report reveals the
education sector’s strengths, one of which is the established alliance among government agencies

and the partnership of the government education agencies with civil society organizations and the

private sector that has potential to boost the EFA accomplishment of the country. For instance, there

is a collaboration among government agencies, NGOs, and private organizations to address the

issues on OSYs through the Abot Alam program. Moreover, the legislated policies and government

issuances that address key issues on education facilitate the actions conducive to EFA attainment.

The most promising development is the sector-wide education reform of establishing the K to 12

system that is backed by legislation.

What have the government and education sector been doing to realize all these goals?

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the localization and

achievement of the MDGs has become an important priority amongst the local government units.

The projects initiated in 2012 brought numerous opportunities to contribute to prioritization and

achievement of lagging MDGs. Critical for MDG5 acceleration was the completion and adoption of

the national and the two local action plans which were formulated together with the government, civil

society organizations, local government and community stakeholders. Recent policy issuances on

the Sin Tax and on Reproductive Health are hoped to significantly support the achievement of the

MDG5.

UNDP through its partners continue to develop institutional capacities at the national and

local levels. Notable supports by the project include: completion of the Menu of Options for LGUs for

the achievement of the MDGs, finalization of the MDG Progress Report of the Province of Ilocos

Norte, initiation of the another ten (10) Local MDGs Progress Report, 2013 National MDG Progress

Report, National Post-2015 Agenda Framework, endorsement of MDG acceleration plan for maternal
health, which was endorsed by the Social Development Committee and the Poverty Reduction and

Human Development Cluster of the National Government in October 2012.

According to the 2015 Philippine Education for All report, the education sector, through the

Department of Education (DepEd) is providing financial assistance to students through the

Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) and is pushing

for inclusive education, particularly for indigenous people, Muslim students, and children with

disabilities. Recently, the government developed the National Climate Change Action Plan to

mitigate the impact of climate change in the country. Moreover, the Philippines adopted a

management framework and institutionalized a national plan on disaster risk reduction through the

Philippine Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010. The education sector is also doing

its part through the integration of disaster risk reduction in the education system and the

establishment of the DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO). Towards a

just and lasting peace for the nation, the peace process is being mainstreamed to gain the general

public’s support, to sustain the peace negotiation and to forge peace agreement. DepEd, for its part,

has issued the declaration that schools be “zones of peace” through DepEd Order No. 44 s. 2005.

As for protecting children from all forms of abuses, cruelty and exploitation, the Anti-Bullying Act was

enacted through Republic Act 10627.

Reflection

In the light of the above emergent issues as a soon-to-be professional teacher, there is a

need to develop a sense of higher levels of commitment and sincerity among us. Since us teachers

are the second parents of our students, we must help in honing and shaping them to a competent,

committed, and compassionate global professionals. We should not be the one responsible for their

failures and downfall, we should be the one contributing to their development as a whole.
 References

____________. Education for All. Retrieved on February 16, 2018 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Education_For_All.

United Nations Development Programme. Accelerating Progress on the Millennium Development

Goals. Retrieved on February 16, 2018 at http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en
/home/operations/projects/poverty_reduction/accelerating-progress-on-the-millennium-
development-goals-.html

United Nations. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015. Retrieved on February 16, 2018
at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%202015%20rev%20
(July%201).pdf